Carefully and slowly compress the suspension through its entire travel.

Check that no part of your shock contacts any portion of your frame or linkage as it cycles through its travel.

Remove the shock from your frame, reinstall the coil spring, and reinstall your shock. Check that the spring does not contact any portion of your frame or linkage.

Set sag as described in the "Setting Coil Spring Preload" section below.

WARNING: Rear shock setup and configuration varies greatly between different bicycle manufacturers. Be sure to refer to the owner's manual for your bicycle. FOX products should be installed by a qualified bicycle service technician, in accordance with FOX installation specifications. Improperly installed shocks can fail, causing the rider to lose control, resulting in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Before You Ride

Make sure that your shock is ready to ride

Clean the outside of your shock with mild soap and water and wipe dry with a soft rag.

Do not use any solvents or de-greasers as these products can damage the shock's exterior finish.

Do not use a high pressure washer or spray water directly at the seal/shock body junction.

Inspect the exterior of your shock. The shock should not be used if any of the exterior parts appear to be damaged

Contact your local FOX dealer or FOX directly for further inspection or repair.

Make sure that your quick-release levers (or thru-axles) are properly adjusted and tightened.

WARNING: Tighten the preload adjuster just until the spring no longer moves, then preload no more than 2 full turns. Preloading the spring more than 2 full turns may cause the spring to coil bind when the shock is bottomed out. This can cause damage to the shock which could lead to a loss of control resulting in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Changing Coil Springs

If necessary, changing coils can help you achieve proper sag.

Loosen the preload adjuster until the spring freely moves.

Lift up the coil spring and remove the slotted spring retainer and the spring retainer insert (spring retainer insert only found on Factory and Performance Elite Series shocks, no spring retainer insert is used on Performance Series shocks).

Slide the coil spring off the shock body. Depending on your bike model, you may need to remove the shaft eyelet hardware to create enough clearance to remove the coil spring. Information on eyelet hardware can be found at SHOCK- Eyelet Hardware Maintenance »

Slide the new coil spring onto the shock body.

Install the spring retainer insert back on the shock with it's protruding section going into the inside of the coil spring (Factory and Performance Elite Series only).

Install the slotted spring retainer with it's recessed side toward the shaft eyelet and it's protruding section inset within the spring retainer insert or coil spring on Performance Series shocks.

Use the information about your specific bike and shock combination in the table below to help determine which table of recommended dampers settings to try.

Determine which table to use (A, B, or C) depending on your result from the table above. Spring rate is printed on the spring of your shock. Use your spring rate value in the correct table below to find the suggested starting damping settings for your shock. Factory Series shocks will utilize all recommended damping adjustments (HSC, LSC, HSR, and LSR). Performance Elite Series shocks will only utilize the recommended LSC and LSR adjustments.

Turn all damper adjusters to the closed position (fully clockwise) until they stop. Then back them out (counter-clockwise) to the number of clicks shown in the appropriate table below.

Adjusting Rebound

Rebound controls how fast the shock extends after compressing

The rebound adjustment is dependent on the coil spring rate. For example, higher coil spring rates require more rebound damping.

Adjust rebound until when tested, the shock returns quickly but does not top out.

Top out is felt when a shock fully extends too quickly and comes to an abrupt stop when it reaches full extension (you will hear/feel a small noise). Top out should be avoided through proper rebound setting.

*Factory Series only

Adjusting Compression Damping (Factory and Performance Elite Series)

Adjusting your high and low speed compression setting controls how the shock feels as it's compressed through its travel under various types of hits. Use your high and low speed compression adjusters to tune the fork to meet your riding style and terrain.

X2 Adjustment Tools

There are two tools that are available from FOX to help with adjusting Compression and Rebound on FLOAT X2 and DHX2 shocks. The tools come stock with aftermarket shocks and are available for purchase to use with OE shocks.

The DHX2/FLOAT X2 Adjustment Wrench (PN: 398-00-525) has both a 3mm and 6mm hex wrench to help make adjustments on the trail.

The X2 6mm Hex Wrench (PN: 398-00-746) can be used to hold the High-Speed-Compression (HSC) or High-Speed-Rebound (HSR) adjusters in place while adjusting the Low-Speed-Compression (LSC) or Low-Speed-Rebound (LSR) adjusters. In some cases, adjusting the LSC or LSR adjusters to their minimum or maximum settings can cause the adjuster to stick slightly. If stuck, hold the HSC or HSR in place while adjusting the LSC or LSR with a 3mm hex wrench inserted through the X2 6mm Hex Wrench.

Using the 2-Pos Compression Lever (Factory and Performance Elite Series)

The 2-Position compression lever available on some DHX2 shocks can be used to quickly switch between your pre-set High and Low speed compression settings and a Firm mode for improved climbing.

Turning the lever clockwise sets the shock in the Firm mode. Firm mode is a very firm low-speed compression setting. This setting is most useful for climbing and sprinting.

Turning the lever counter-clockwise sets the shock in the Open mode which utilizes your pre-set HSC/LSC setting. The HSC and LSC adjustments only have an affect on compression damping when the 2-Position lever is in the counter-clockwise setting.

FOX recommends beginning with the 2-position lever in the Open mode.

Adjusting Compression Damping (Performance Series)

Turn the blue LSC adjuster clockwise by hand, to increase low-speed compression damping. The LSC adjuster primarily affects the compression damping during slow speed suspension movements, such as pedaling, g-outs or smooth jump landings. It also affects the wheel traction and harshness (or plushness) of your bicycle. The LSC adjuster has ~16-18 clicks of adjustment range.

Service Intervals

To best maintain the performance and durability of your product under normal use, FOX recommends that you have regular fork and shock maintenance performed according to the service intervals listed below.

*For those who ride lift-accessed DH, Park, or Extreme Freeride or in extremely wet/muddy or dry/dusty environmental conditions where trail debris is sprayed onto the fork or shock while on the trail, FOX encourages riders to perform maintenance earlier than recommended above as needed. If you hear, see, or feel something unusual, stop riding immediately and contact a FOX Authorized Service Center for proper servicing.

WARNING: FOX products should be serviced by a qualified bicycle service technician, in accordance with FOX specifications. If you have any doubt whether or not you can properly service your FOX product, then DO NOT attempt it. Improperly serviced products can fail, causing the rider to lose control resulting in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.